Girija Singh searches for his roots in Bihar

He is not the first South African of Indian origin to come to Bihar to trace the roots of his forefathers. But he is different - because he does not even know the name of the village his ancestors came from.

But Girija Sani Singh, 67, is in Bihar with his Gujarati wife Urmila Singh, determined to trace the truth nevertheless.

A large number of people from Bihar migrated to Fiji, Mauritius, Trinidad, Surinam, South Africa and other countries in the 19th century to serve as indentured labour on sugarcane and rubber plantations. Many descendants are now eager to locate the families of their forefathers in India.